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Organizational Ambidexterity: Balancing Exploitation and Exploration for Sustained Performance

University of St. Gallen, 9000 St. Gallen, Switzerland
London Business School, Regents Park, London NW1 4SA, United Kingdom
University of Geneva, 1211 Geneva 4, Switzerland
Harvard Business School, Boston, Massachusetts 02163
sebastian.raisch{at}unisg.ch
jbirkinshaw{at}london.edu
gilbert.probst{at}weforum.org
mtushman{at}hbs.edu

Organizational ambidexterity has emerged as a new research paradigm in organization theory, yet several issues fundamental to this debate remain controversial. We explore four central tensions here: Should organizations achieve ambidexterity through differentiation or through integration? Does ambidexterity occur at the individual or organizational level? Must organizations take a static or dynamic perspective on ambidexterity? Finally, can ambidexterity arise internally, or do firms have to externalize some processes? We provide an overview of the seven articles included in this special issue and suggest several avenues for future research.

Key Words: ambidexterity; change; exploitation; exploration; innovation; organization design